Collecting Wolverine comics books as graphic novels

The definitive, chronological, and up-to-date guide and trade reading order on collecting Wolverine via omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback graphic novels. A part of Crushing Krisis’s Collecting X-Men: A Definitive Guide. Last updated November 2018 with titles scheduled for release through July 2019.

Collecting Wolverine

Wolverine is second only to Spider-Man in sheer quantity of stories told about a single character in the modern Marvel Universe. Collecting his every appearance is a close-to impossible task.

That can make it hard to be a fan who wants to read about your favorite 5’3″ Canucklehead without picking up expensive back issues. Luckily, those comics have been collected into dozens of softcover graphic novels, called “trade paperbacks.”

This guide lists three types of Wolverine collections – ongoing series, limited series where he is a title or starring character, and significant story-arcs. It is split into several sections and eras:

Join the Crushing On Crushing Krisis mailing list for a notice whenever this page is updated with new collections – plus, a not-more-than-weekly ping about new comics content.

Name: Email address:

Essential Wolverine

Marvel’s Essentials line packs tons of comics into each black and white, phone-book-sized edition with newsprint paper. If you don’t care about color and glossy paper, this is the best way to acquire your favorite classic stories quickly.

However, there are flaws with this approach. First, Essentials doesn’t include Wolverine’s limited series, his key Marvel Comics Presents Weapon X story, or really anything else other than his own title beginning in 1988. That may leave you feeling a little lost, especially in the #60-80 range when crossovers were frequent.

Second, for much of this run the original black and white line art was not available to scan for these books, so they present grayscale scans of the actual colored comics. That’s a very different experience than reading from black and white art – understandably, you might prefer to read in color – perhaps to appreciate all of the blood!

Essential Editions are not repeated below in their chronological placement, since B&W is not the original format of this series

Epic & Complete Collections

Marvel’s Epic Collections represent a consistent, affordable, full-color bookshelf format of issues in perfect continuity order without a single gap. The catch? Marvel is releasing them in a random order to focus on the biggest gaps first – since early issues are already well-covered by both Essentials and Masterworks.

As with his Essentials, Wolverine’s Epic Collections begin at the start of his 1988 series rather than with his earlier limited series. Epic editions are also listed below in their chronological placement, as they are frequently the only coverage of a specific run.

I have also included Complete Collections of some of Wolverine’s later series, which are functionally the same concept as Epic Collections except that they are released in chronological order.

Vol. 13: Blood DebtCollects Wolverine (1988) #150-158 and Annual ’99 plus (weirdly) Wolverine: The Origin #1-6. (That’s actually a good thing, as it shows that Marvel really is committed to collecting contemporaneous extra series in with Epic Collections, no matter their relation to an ongoing).

Vol. 14 and upThese have yet to be announced; they will collect will collect #159 to 189 as well as OGNs from that period.

By Daniel Way Complete Collection, Vol. 1
Daniel Way primarily wrote the next arc of Wolverine’s 2003 series and all of the 2006 series Wolverine: Origins, but this book collects other associated issues by Way. Collects Wolverine (1988) 187-189; Wolverine (2003) #33-40 (an arc that introduced the Origins series); Wolverine: Origins #1-5 and #1 Director’s Cut; Sabretooth (2004) #1-4; and material from I (Heart) Marvel: My Mutant Heart.

Wolverine (2003) #41-55, 57-61, and 66-72 are written by several different writers, and have not been collected in Complete collections, although all of those issues are collected variously below with Wolverine (2003).

Wolverine (2010) #305-317 were written by Cullen Bunn and have yet to be re-collected into Complete collections, although all of those issues are collected variously below with Wolverine (2010).

Wolverine Omnibus and Oversize Hardcovers

These massive tomes have larger pages and collect huge swaths of comics – between 25 and 50 issues a book. They look beautiful on a book-shelf! These editions are also listed below in their chronological placement, as they are frequently the only coverage of a specific run. Other omnibuses not primarily focused on tWolverine material are also listed in this guide chronologically.

Wolverine Goes To Hell Omnibus Oversized Hardcover
This book collects the remainder of Jason Aaron’s Wolverine run, which intersects with the following pair of Omnibuses. It includes Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1-6; Wolverine (2010) #1-20, 5.1, & 300-304; X-Men: Schism #1-5; and material from Wolverine: Road To Hell

Uncanny X-Force Omnibus Oversized Hardcover
Wolverine leads this team through a harrowing story, as told by Rick Remender. Collects Uncanny X-Force (2010) #1-35, 5.1, and 19.1 and material from Wolverine: Road To Hell and X-Men Spotlight

Wolverine & The X-Men Omnibus Oversized Hardcover
Collects the entire 2011 Wolverine & The X-Men series by Jason Aaron, less a handful of crossover issues from Battle of the Atom – #1-35, 38-42 and Annual 1

Pre-Adamantium Wolverine

Marvel Comics writers have established a rich and globe-spanning history for Wolverine prior to the story that infused his body with an adamantium skeleton. For years these stories were sporadic flashbacks, and focused mainly on adventures in WWII or in a multi-national mercenary squad with Sabretooth.

After the revelations of Wolverine’s complete history during 2006’s House of M, it is now easier to place the major pre-adamantium stories in proper context. However, they have limited bearing on the modern superhero Wolverine, so are not considered to be essential reading.

Wolverine: Origin (2001) #1-6(ISBN 0785137270)
Also available in a 2012 hardcover, original hardcover, and combined with II in a Complete Collection. Origin draws the curtain away from Wolverine’s forgotten beginnings after over 25 years of speculation – not his Weapon X training and captivity, but the actual emergence of this powers! Andy Kubert’s art was universally praised, but some fans found the story both melodramatic and unremarkable.

Marvel Comics Presents #93-98 – Not collected. A pre-adamantium story set in the early 1900s.

Wolverine: X-Man (1974 – 1987)

Wolverine was introduced as a seemingly throwaway adversary for Hulk in late 1974, but was quickly adopted in 1975 by Len Wein in his landmark Giant-Size X-Men that also introduced Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. For thirteen years he made his primary appearances as the X-Men’s go-to Scrapper, making only occasional guest-appearances in other Marvel titles and team-up books.

Wolverine Omnibus

Wolverine was around for almost fifteen years before he was granted his own, solo, ongoing title. That means many of the key issues of Wolverine are scattered across multiple comics.

Luckily, Marvel has collected all the early arcs that have the most impact on the ongoing Wolverine continuity into a single hardcover tome. Wolverine Omnibus collects Wolverine’s debut in Incredible Hulk, Wolverine’s 1982 limited series, the Marvel Comics Presents classic Madripoor and Weapon X arcs, as well as and several other 70s and 80s key appearances.

Uncanny X-Men #94-227

Wolverine appears in nearly every issue of this classic run! See Uncanny X-Men #94-280 for collection information.

Wolverine: First Class (2008 – 2010)

Wolverine: First Class is a glib romp through Wolverine’s past, featuring canonical stories that are woven between issues #138-149 of Uncanny X-Men from the early 80s.

First Class could be considered a kids title, but thanks to the surprisingly A-list lineup of creators that helmed the title it’s simply reminiscent of a time when comics didn’t require a Parental Advisory stamp.

#1-4: Wolverine: First Class: The RookieAlso collects an unspecified “classic Wolverine” reprint. See below for an alternative collection of #1-2 titled “Tales of Weapon X.”

Wolverine, Vol. 1: Limited Series (1982)

A classic 1982 limited series from Chris Claremont and Frank Miller depicts Wolverine’s adventures in Japan fighting the Hand, which occurs just after Uncanny X-Men #171. There are presently three options to collect this series, listed from most expensive to most affordable:

Best Of Wolverine, Vol. 1out-of-print(hardcover) (ISBN 0785113706)
A pre-cursor to the Omnibus, you still may be able to find this at a lower price. It collects Wolverine (1982) #1-4, Marvel Comics Presents #72-84, Incredible Hulk #181, Uncanny X-Men #205, and Captain America Annual #8.

Secret Wars (1984)

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine (1985)

Wolverine / Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection (1989)

Though this OGN was released in 1989, it fits in continuity with 1985 stories.

Spider-Man versus Wolverine (1987)

A one-shot collected in Wolverine Omnibus, above.

Wolverine, Vol. 1 (1988 – 2003)

Wolverine hit the big time in 1988, as comics in general – and X-Men in specific – were beginning to crest in popularity. Suddenly, he found himself in two ongoing titles. One, Wolverine, Vol. 2, featured solo adventures of a tone that had never before been told with the character. The other, Marvel Comics Presents, was an anthology title that featured Wolverine in nearly every issue. Plus, Wolverine became a fixture of every event book, a frequent sales-ensuring guest star, and the star of several stand-alone graphic novels.

Uncanny X-Men #228-321

Wolverine appears consistently with some gaps from #228-279, but afterwards is not a regular character in Uncanny X-Men (although he does occasionally appear). See Uncanny X-Men #142-280 for collection information.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988 – 1994)

Marvel Comics Presents was an anthology series with four stories in each issue. Almost every issue featured a portion of a Wolverine story, effectively making a quarter of each MCP issue a second Wolverine solo title.

Many of these stories are set prior to the Wolverine regular series, and can be read independently of continuity. For those that occur in continuity, their placement is detailed below with Wolverine, Vol. 2

Wolverine, Vol. 2: #1-90 (1988 – 2003)

In 1988 Marvel’s most popular mutant finally merited his own ongoing series, which began in November 1988 in the same month as Uncanny X-Men #237 was released, along with New Mutants #69, X-Factor #35, and Excalibur #2. Chronologically, you should read the first eight issues prior to Uncanny #235.

Major appearances outside of his own series, Marvel Comics Presents, and other X-Men titles are listed in italics. Titles of the major X-Books are abbreviated – UXM for Uncanny X-Men, XMv2 for X-Men (1991), XFa for X-Factor, and MCP for Marvel Comics Presents.

After #44: Appearances in Infinity Gauntlet, Spider-Man #8-12, Namor #21-25, and Wolverine: Bloody Choices OGN (See below). Rahne of Terra is released here, but must occur prior to X-Tinction Agenda and is placed above.

#150-158: Epic Collection: Blood Debt (Epic Vol. 13)Collects Wolverine (1988) #150-158 and Annual ’99 plus (weirdly) Wolverine: The Origin #1-6. (That’s actually a good thing, as it shows that Marvel really is committed to collecting contemporaneous extra series in with Epic Collections, no matter their relation to an ongoing).

Wolverine: X-Man, Avenger, and Origins Revealed (2003 – 2011)

This era begins with three big changes in status quo. First, Wolverine’s longtime ongoing is cancelled and relaunched as a Marvel Knights title, allowing it to be grittier and less super-heroic. Second, Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men launched to take the place of New X-Men, and continued to feature Wolverine in a prominent role. Finally, Wolverine became a full-time member of the Avengers!

Wolverine, Vol. 3 (2003-2009)

Begins July 2003 alongside only three other X-titles – Uncanny X-Men #424, New X-Men #136, and X-Treme X-Men #20.

Marvel’s cancellation of the prior Wolverine series seems mysterious, but not taken in the context of the market at the time. Marvel titles saw their lowest circulation numbers ever, and the biggest success stories were the alternate Ultimate universe comics – more realistic books that allowed new readers to start from scratch with their favorite characters.

Not coincidentally, though this issue is in the main Marvel-616 universe, it begins as a Marvel Knights title – adult, out-of-costume, and with no reference whatsoever to the X-Men.

At issue #75 the title of this volume changes to Dark Wolverine as part of the Dark Reign saga, but ultimately stays with that character (Daken) even after the saga is over. Wolverine gets a new title – Wolverine: Weapon X. Both series are covered below.

Wolverine: Origins (2006 – 2010)

Buyer beware – this ongoing series blending modern adventures with flashbacks of Wolverine’s forgotten history draws consistently mixed reviews from fans. That said, this reader quite enjoyed it. Origins is a single 50-issue story that weaves a measure of subtlety into Wolverine’s origin without any implausible retcons – it just went off the rails a bit in the final arc. This title begins after events in Wolverine, Vol. 3 #40.

#88-89: Franken-Castle (ISBN 078514420X)
Daken has a bloody run-in with The Punisher to kick off this unusual collection that sees the Punisher consort with a cast of 70s Marvel Monsters – because he is one of them! Collects Dark Reign: The List – Punisher, Punisher #11-16, Dark Wolverine #88-89, Franken-Castle #17-22. Available in hardcover.

Wolverine: Weapon X (2009 – 2010)

Jason Aaron becomes the full-time helmer of Wolverine, praised by the vast majority of fans (not including me – I despise Aaron’s take). Aaron’s Wolverine is hyper-violent, addicted to women, and not super-spy smart. His stories tend to snake around to conclusions hinted at by their early issues.

Avengers & New Avengers (2010-2012)

Wolverine: The Best There Is (2011)

A seriously disturbed twelve-issue maxi series featuring a clan of immortal, immoral, comedic, and insane villains who are trying to convince Wolverine to help them concoct something – but is it a disease or a cure? Fans were slow to warm to this book, but if you enjoyed Aaron’s “Insane in the Brain” arc you’ll love this. Also, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Dazzler are surprisingly well-written supporting characters in the second half (as are a pair of intersexed intergalactic bounty hunters).

Due to the X-Men line-up it features, this must be placed prior to Wolverine #1-9, below.

Wolverine’s participation in Fear Itself falls here, including a mini-series collected as Fear Itself: Wolverine / New Mutants in hardcover and paperback.

#10-16: Wolverine: Wolverine’s Revenge (ISBN 0785152806)A highly bloody arc that has split fans down the middle with a conclusion that some find ingenious morality play and others find and implausible cliche. Either way, it has a huge impact on the impending Schism in the X-Men. Available in hardcover.

Wolverine: Headmaster and Martyr (2011 – 2015)

The end of X-Men: Schism represented a big change in Wolverine’s philosophy, which is reflected throughout all of his appearances.

Wolverine #300-317 (2012-2013)

Wolverine adds up all of its prior numbers and comes up with #300 to kick off a final arc by Jason Aaron before scripting duties turn over to Cullen Bunn. Wolverine and the X-Men begins prior to #300 and runs alongside this series.

Wolverine: In the Flesh (2013) one-shot: The Arms of the Octopus
Collects All-New X-Men Special #1, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up Special #1, Indestructible Hulk Special #1, and and unrelated one-shot, Wolverine: In the Flesh #1.

The Death of Wolverine (2014)

The initial “Death of” portion of this period was recollected into a single paperback:

Death Of Wolverine: The Complete Collection
Collects Death Of Wolverine #1-4, Death Of Wolverine: The Weapon X Program #1-5, Death Of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy# 1-7, Death Of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1, Death Of Wolverine: Life After Logan #1

That material was originally released in three volumes, plus a tie-in volume of Wolverine and The X-Men (which was not collected in the Complete Collection)

Wolverines in All-New, All-Different Marvel (2015 – 2018)

There are two different Wolverines to follow in All-New, All-Different Marvel – X-23 as Wolverine and a time-displaced old Logan. X-23 stars in All-New Wolverine (covered in the X-23 Guide) as well as in All-New X-Men Vol. 2. Old Man Logan stars in Old Man Logan and Extraordinary X-Men.

Old Man Logan by Jeff Lemire…

Vol. 0: Warzones
Collects the Secret Wars lead-in to the new Old Man Logan, written by Brian Bendis.

Marvel Fresh Start: Logan Returns! (2018 – present)

Logan returns … but how and why is he back?

We first see Logan in single-page post-credits scenes across almost the entirety of Marvel in “Where’s Wolverine” titles. Then, he appears in the first issue of Infinity Countdown to hand off an Infinity Stone to another character. Is that what brought him back?

When the rest of the Marvel Universe realizes that Logan has returned, the hunt is on – in four different limited series starring characters from every different line.

Hunt for Wolverine(2018 oversize hardcover)
Collects “Where’s Wolverine” pages (single pages in every Marvel comic that formed one issue worth of narrative), the Hunt For Wolverine one-shot, the four simultaneous mini-series, and the Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends epilogue. The four mini-series were also collected separately as paperbacks:
– Weapon Lost #1-4 (written by Charles Soule and anchored by Daredevil and Misty Knight)
– Adamantium Agenda #1-4 (written by Tom Taylor and starring Spider-Man, Iron Man, Luke Cage, & Jessica Jones)
– Claws Of A Killer #1-4 (written by Mariko Tamaki and starring Sabretooth, Deathstrike, and Daken)
– Mystery In Madripoor #1-4 (written by Jim Zub and starring Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Domino, and Jubilee)

Then, Wolverine returns in limited series – his first in over four years!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hello I’m basing a list off of your wolverine collection Im having trouble understanding what “X 54” is. Its located after 103 & 102.5. Could you maybe lead me in a better direction? Ive searched around and it pulls up a bunch of different titles. Any help would be appreciated.

I make a lot of use of comic databases like CBDB, Comics.org, and ComicVine to make sure I’ve located all of the possible series, and then I use a combination of those, Amazon, and Previews to track the collections. My system is a lot more sophisticated now than it was when I first published this guide!

This guide is a lifesaver, thank you so much! I was looking for something to help me track down what to read and how to avoid duplicates/reprints/etc, and you have saved the day!

I did notice you have a note about the Greg Rucka book “Electra and Wolverine: The Redeemer” and whether or not it fits into continuity. I tracked this down solely because I have been a Yoshitaka Amano fan way before I ever became a Marvel fan; the book is more a heavily illustrated novel than a comic. That said though, to answer your question it is not a flashback story, at least not told in flashback. It reads to me like a standalone work, but I don’t know anything about Elektra so I can’t comment for sure on that.

First off, a HUGE thanks for compiling this list…it’s unbelievably well organized, extremely well written, and frankly I hope you are making some income (it is well deserved). Anyway, what is your recommendation on when to read Daniel Way’s Origins 1-50? Would it be after Issue 40 Origins & Endings and before Blood & Sorrow? Thanks in advance!

If you’re intent on reading a lot of Wolverine and doing it in as big chunks as possible, I’d consider first reading Civil War material, then reading Origins #1-50, then reading the remainder of Wolverine (2003) and Wolverine: Weapon X.

[…] As the stories got less and less super-heroic and more human the book got more and more fascinating until it was must-read territory for me. That’s not going to be true for everyone, but the creator-centric vibe of this volume means there’s really no weak point – just stories you might not like. Visit the guide. […]

[…] The entirety of this run of Wolverine has been reprinted in color, but only the first 10 issues are collected as a run in oversize format. For information on collecting every Wolverine issue ever, see the Guide to Wolverine. […]

[…] Episode 13 features Wolverine: Enemy of the State (Amazon / eBay), which was also in the Wolverine by Mark Millar Omnibus (Amazon / eBay) along with Old Man Logan; Wolverine/Elektra: The Redeemer by Greg Rucka (Amazon / eBay); and SHIELD: Architects of Forever (Amazon / eBay). Both Wolverine books are covered in the Guide to Wolverine. […]

Links from Crushing Krisis to retailer websites may be in the form of affiliate links. If you purchase through an affiliate link I will receive a minor credit as your referrer. My credit does not affect your purchase price. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program. Note that URLs including the "geni.us" domain name are affiliate short-links.